20 Songs for Music Therapists to Retire
I was watching Downton Abbey reruns and happily humming along to “Let Me Call You Sweetheart” when I realized two things: 1) This episode is set in 1920 and 2) I still use this song with my older adult clients, the majority of whom were born decades after the 1920s. As music therapists, we know that the most impactful music for clients is often tied to their adolescence and young adulthood. Am I doing my senior clients a disservice by singing songs from way before they were born?
Granted, “Let Me Call You Sweetheart” and many other songs that would probably fall into their parents’ preferred music (pre-1920s) still get big responses and most everyone knows the words. I’m torn in choosing repertoire that’s over a century old for its familiarity, but I want to account for the older adults that came of age as civil rights, feminism, and rock music dominated America (a far cry from the Downton Abbey cohort). The faces of older adults are changing and it’s time that my song choices and perceptions shifted as well.
In that spirit, below are two lists. The first compiles 20 songs that more antique than vintage and deserve to be retired. The second list brings together 10 songs that music therapists can start incorporating into their work with older adults to speak to the first wave of Baby Boomers.
What other songs should be added to either list?
100 Year Old Songs to Retire
The Yellow Rose of Texas (1858)
Polly Wolly Doodle (1880)
The Sidewalks of New York (1894)
The Band Played On (1895)
Bicycle Built for Two (1896)
My Wild Irish Rose (1899)
I Love You Truly (1901)
In the Good Old Summertime (1902)
Give My Regards to Broadway (1904)
Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis (1904)
School Days (1907)
Shine On Harvest Moon (1908)
By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1909)
Let Me Call You Sweetheart (1910)
Alexander’s Ragtime Band (1911)
I Want a Girl (Just Like the Girl That Married Dear Old Dad) (1911)
When Irish Eyes Are Smiling (1912)
Too-Ra-Loo-Ral (1912)
You Made Me Love You (1913)
Pack Up Your Troubles In Your Old Kit Bag (1915)
Songs for the First Wave of Boomers (born 1946-54, came of age 1963-72)
Stand By Me (1961)
Blowin In the Wind (1963)
King of the Road (1965)
Leavin on a Jet Plane (1966)
Sound of Silence (1966)
To Sir with Love (1967)
Raindrops Keep Fallin On My Head (1969)
Let it Be (1970)
Take Me Home Country Roads (1971)
Lean on Me (1972)
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Helpful lists. Thank you. Just a thought, however, is the consideration that some of the songs may have been recorded by later generations of singers and movie producers.
Hi Laurie, thanks for pointing that out. So many songs get re-introduced to new generations through cover songs!
I think whether to retire a song depends on the person’s preferred music and the clinical applications. One young adult I see for music therapy loves old patriotic tunes and Stephen Foster songs, which doesn’t fall into the “typical” music of her generation. However, I agree with your choices and reasoning behind it.
Hi Becca,
Yes, client preference is always paramount! I agree that many older adult clients enjoy many tunes on my “retire” list that have entered the American Songbook. I think my post was more in the spirit of bringing new new repertoire and not making assumptions about new generations of older adults. Thank you for your insight!